Confederations Cup Preview & Betting Odds Guide

Germany have been installed as the bookies’ favourites to lift the 2017 Confederations Cup but the history of the competition suggests their success is far from a foregone conclusion, writes Nick.

The Confederations Cup emerged from a tournament called the King Fahd Cup, which was contested in Saudi Arabia in 1992 and 1995 and brought together the reigning champions of each confederation. FIFA took over the tournament in 1997, and from 2005 it has been contested on a four-yearly basis in the country set to host the following year’s World Cup.

Russia is therefore the venue for this year’s tournament, with Kazan, Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Sochi serving as host cities. The eight teams have been drawn into two groups of four, with the top two from each group progressing to the semi-finals.

The host nation have been drawn in Group A alongside New Zealand, Portugal and Mexico. Russia were eliminated at the group stage of last year’s European Championship and have failed to impress in subsequent friendly outings. They have twice changed coach in recent years and it is difficult to see them making much of an impact at this tournament.

Euro 2016 champions Portugal, aided by Cristiano Ronaldo, are the favourites to progress from Group A. They took a bit of time to get going and perhaps rode their luck a little at times but eventually proved themselves to be canny and effective operators on the way to their first major international trophy. Like Russia, they will make their Confederations Cup debut this summer. Unlike Russia, they have a very solid chance of winning it.

Mexico are the only previous winners of the competition in this year’s field and come into the tournament in good form. They currently lead the six-team CONCACAF qualifying group for next year’s World Cup and play attractive and well-organised football. Indeed, the only real blot on coach Juan Carlos Osorio’s copybook is the 7-1 mauling they received at the hands of Chile in the quarter-final of last year’s Copa America Centenario in the United States.

New Zealand are the rank outsiders in the Confederations Cup odds with the bookies. With a record of eight defeats and one draw in their previous nine matches in the Confederations Cup, the truth is that it would be a fantastic achievement if they even got close to progressing from the group.

Germany are the top seeds in Group B, have reached the final four of each of their last six major tournaments and are the favourites to win the competition. Joachim Low has a highly talented squad at his disposal and even if he elects to rest a few of his normal starters, still has a team capable of lifting the trophy in Saint Petersburg come 2nd July.

It does, however, bear noting that European sides have failed to win any of the last three runnings of the Confederations Cup and have, in fact, only once reached the final in that time. But the path to success may be easier this time around given the absence of the three-time reigning champions Brazil.

Chile are the third Confederations Cup debutants in this year’s field. Their golden generation has led them to two consecutive Copa America triumphs (their first major international trophies) and a B squad continued that winning streak at the inaugural China Cup in January. They have generally shown well against European opposition over the last four or five years and are the most viable non-European winners of this year’s competition.

Cameroon reached the Confederations Cup final in 2003 in what remains the best-ever performance by an African team and secured their place in this year’s tournament by winning the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon in February. They will look to keep things tight and spring forward powerfully on the counter-attack – a formula that could lead to an upset or two.

Australia were finalists in the augural FIFA-backed tournament back in 1997 and also finished third in Japan and South Korea in 2001. A repeat of those performances does, however, appear unlikely. They’ve experienced a few troubles in qualification for next year’s World Cup, drawing four of their last five fixtures, and have lost eight and won just one of their last 10 competitive matches against European and South American opposition.

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